Environmental Commitment

Environmental stewardship is one of the founding principles of NEB. By promoting sound ecological practices and environmental sustainability, NEB ensures the protection and preservation of natural resources, both locally and globally. We continuously strive for improvement in our business processes in order to minimize and, where possible, mitigate our impact on the environment. Raising awareness of our duty to the environment is paramount to NEB’s corporate message. As an additional measure of their commitment, NEB has received ISO 14001 certification, a quality standard for environmental management systems.

Our Facility

Believing it possible to conduct
cutting-edge research and production in a greener, less-environmentally
impactful way, NEB commissioned the building of a modern, LEED certified
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) 140,000 square foot laboratory
building. LEED certification is a
distinction awarded based on a suite of environmentally focused standards that
include site sustainability, water efficiency, energy conservation and
atmospheric protection, choice of building materials and resources, indoor
environmental quality, innovation and building design. In 2009, NEB also received a “sustainable
design” award from the Boston Society of Architects for the design of this
state-of-the-art facility.

Our Business Processes

A true pioneer in sustainable
business practices, NEB established the first shipping box recycling program
over thirty years ago. Still in practice
today in the U.S. and internationally, the program diverts cardboard and polystyrene
from landfills. In 1987, as part of an
effort to minimize fuel consumption and shipping costs, NEB introduced its
freezer program, consolidating shipments and freezer utilization costs and
providing on-demand molecular biology reagents in academic and research centers
across the globe. All publications,
including manuals, datacards and marketing materials, are printed on recycled
paper. In addition, the NEB Catalog
& Technical Reference is printed on 30% post-consumer recovered fiber,
reducing the need for trees, decreasing energy consumption and saving landfill
space. The NEB mail list is carefully monitored
for returned mail to help reduce the volume of printed materials; the use of
e-invoices also helps to decrease paper usage.
The extensive in-house recycling program includes paper, plastics, expanded
polystyrene, glass, aluminum, batteries and electronics.

For more information regarding environmental programs at NEB, or to share feedback on NEB’s commitment to the environment, please contact us at green@neb.com.

Global Conservation and Awareness

Since
it was first published in 1975, the NEB Catalog & Technical Reference has
been a trusted resource for scientists around the world. In addition to the extensive scientific
information, each edition of the catalog contains minireviews that address various
environmental topics of interest. These
articles endeavor to raise awareness about the impact we have on the
environment and our need to act as stewards of the planet. With the release of each catalog, NEB pledges
support to non-profit organizations that promote environmental awareness. Locally, NEB participates with The FoodProject, a community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds working
together to sustainably farm, to offer an on-campus CSA for interested
employees.

Non-Profit Organizations

As part of our commitment to raising environmental awareness, NEB has played a role in the establishment of two non-profit New England Biolabs Foundation and the Ocean Genome Legacy Foundation.

The New England Biolabs Foundation (NEBF), a private foundation established in 1982, supports environmental awareness, education, health and the arts. For more information, please visit the NEBF website at www.nebf.org.

The Ocean Genome Legacy Foundation (OGLF) is a not-for-profit private research foundation whose goal is to promote conservation of marine genomic diversity by creating a permanent library of genomic DNA from as many marine species as possible. For more information, please visit the OGLF website at www.oglf.org.

NEB also supports local environmental initiative through our corporate donations program, which contributes to non-profit organizations.